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Behind the scenes of the Maestre lab (I)

With this post we start a (hopefully regular)
series of posts where we will describe the results of our research in a
slightly different way as we have done so far with the updates on upcoming
articles (example here) or with synthesis of the research carried out in our
experimental sites (example here). For doing so we will present the “behind the
scenes” of the research presented in the articles we publish.

All papers look great once they appear in a scientific journal, with their
polished text and great-looking figures, but publishing an article is a long
journey, and there a large number of obstacles to cross to get the research that
will lead to the published articles done, as well as failures too! (you can
find great posts by Jeremy Fox and Franciska de Vries about this topic here
and here).
To get additional insights on what we do, we will conduct a short, informal,
interview with the lead authors of the papers we publish, which will provide
interested readers with the “behind the scenes” of the work described there. By doing so, we will also know a little better current and past lab
members, as well as their interests and motivations.

This paper describes the
results of a meta-analytical review of the effects of soil fauna on decomposition at
the globaland biome scales. We also assessed
the relative importance of climate, litter quality and soil fauna for litter
decomposition rates, and evaluated how climate and litter quality modulate the
effect sizes of soil fauna on such rates.

What are the main key messages of this article?

Our study provides solid
evidence that soil fauna enhance litter decomposition rates at global and biome
scales. Our
review also demonstrates that the positive effect of soil fauna is important,
even in comparison with that of climate and litter quality, and that soil fauna
can be the major decomposition driver in certain biomes such as tropical wet
forests. The third key message is that the modulation of soil fauna effects on
decomposition by climate and litter quality varies with the biome considered,
from climate-driven biomes such as tropical wet forests, deciduous forests and
cold or dry systems, to biomes where climate effects are mediated by changes in
litter quality, such as temperate humid grasslands.

How did you come up with the idea of conducting this synthesis?

Well, I got a post-doc
position in 2012 to work with Diana Wall at Colorado State University on the
relative contribution of climate, soil biota and litter quality for litter
decomposition. This was my first contact with the decomposition world ever, as
this was my first postdoc and I did my PhD on plant-soil interactions in
roadside grasslands. Talking with Diana, we ruled out time-consuming field experiments
(I only had a 1-year postdoc!) and came up with the idea of conducting a global
meta-analysis. I was certainly inspired by her paper published a few years
before in Global Change Biology (Wall et al. 2008). In addition, I do think
meta-analysis is a superb way to get started with a new topic because you have
to read hundreds of papers and allows you to get a pretty good idea of what´s
going on and what are the knowledge gaps. I highly recommend it for first year
PhD students or short-term postdocs!

What have you enjoyed the most during the “life cycle” of this article
(from its conception to its publication)?

Again, digging deep into the
decomposition literature was really satisfying for me, as I discovered a very
interesting topic which still constitutes my main research line. Learning how
to conduct a meta-analysis from the very basics was also great. Of course, I
had the inestimable help of Fernando Maestre, who had previously led excellent
meta-analysis on plant-plant interactions and shrub encroachment. In a
data-rich world, meta-analysis are required to synthesize, from a quantitative
point of view, the huge amount of information gathered by ecologists worldwide;
and I am very happy to have learnt how to use this tool. And getting a nice data
set without even moving from your office is definitely a pro!

What have been the major difficulties you have encountered when conducting
the research reflected in this article?

Extracting all those data from
75 articles can be a nightmare, I still remember all the days spent in front of
the computer filling a huge Excel file! The stats were also challenging. First
of all, the meta-analysis caused a few headaches: which measure of effect size
use? How to deal with the hierarchy of the data set? Which selection criteria
should the studies meet to be included? Using the output of the meta-analysis
as a response variable in the structural equation models was very exciting, but
also difficult. Santiago Soliveres opened my eyes in a couple of things here that
really helped me to deal with the complex models.

Publishing today is really hard, particularly in top journals like Ecology
Letters. How has been your experience with this publication?

Well, I have to say that Fernando convinced me to
try Ecology Letters as the first choice for this study. I was a bit skeptical
about it because, even though I knew the study had potential, it was my first
meta-analysis and I wanted to be careful. Finally, we submitted the MS to the
journal and after 4 weeks I got the revisions. Both reviewers were very
positive and constructive, pointing to some corrections that should improve the
MS, but that were totally doable. The editor (John Klironomos) also did a great
job involving himself in the revision, which I think all editors should do when
some divergences arise. Submitting the revised version was top priority for me,
so we did it quickly, and after a couple of days the MS was accepted. So I only
have good words for the journal, as they were fast and serious during the revision
process and very helpful during the production stage.

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We are looking for a motivated candidate to apply to a competitive call from the Regional Government of Madrid for funding a 4-yr post-doctoral contract to work in our lab. The requeriments of the candidates are the following:

* Strong publication record in any of the areas related to the research we do in the lab (for details about we do and recent publications check our webpage). We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in microbial ecology, bioinformatics or remote sensing.* The candidate should hold a PhD awarded between 1 January 2013 and 20 June 2016* The candidate should have been working (under a contract or fellowship, proof required) outside Spain for at least one of the last two years.

Please note that this is not a job offer, as the candidate will apply to a competitive call (a total of 25 contracts will be awarded for all knowledge areas). All the details of this call (in Spanish) can be found here. If awarded, the person would work in the Dryland Ecology…

We are looking for a motivated candidate to apply to a competitive postdoctoral call ("Juan de la Cierva formación") from the Spanish Government that fully fund a 2-yr postdoctoral contract to work in in the Dryland Ecology and Global Change Lab. The requeriments of the candidate are the following:

* We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in any of the following areas: microbial ecology, bioinformatics, lichen taxonomy, biocrust ecology, remote sensing or ecological modelling.* The candidate should hold a PhD awarded between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016.* The candidate should have a strong publication record, with articles in journals included in the first quartile of the JCR database (the call is highly competitive and succesfull candidates are those with a strong publication record).* Previous research stays and/or postdoctoral experience outside Spain (for Spanish candidates) or a Phd from a non-Spanish university (for candidates from outside Sp…